Myla Perry has given birth to six children. Her journey through motherhood has given her a clear vision of what pregnancy, birthing and motherhood options she would like available to her two daughters. One defined by peace.
"I feel a stillness and a calm," she says.
Becoming a parent comes with a lot of moving pieces and responsibilities that are new. Myla’s desire isn’t just for her daughters but for women of the future. "I was thinking about all the daughters that are out there that deserve to be in beautiful spaces around beautiful people and to be going through life, which can be challenging. But to be able to just to do it and do it in community. To do it and feel a safety, to do it and feel like you're being supported and loved," she says.
A stark reality
While Perry dreams of peace, the current landscape for Black mothers remains challenging. Data from the Butler County General Health District shows that while infant mortality rates have improved consistently since 2012, Black infants continue to die at a higher rate than white infants.
In Butler County, health officials are seeing progress. More babies are smashing their first birthday cakes, including Black babies.
Butler County General Health District Health Promotions Director Dominique Johnson recently informed community members that the infant mortality rate for 2025 fell below the national goal.
Barriers in the doctor’s office and hospital
Perry has worked for 11 years as a certified community health worker and lactation counselor. Even with her professional expertise, she has experienced the "cold parts" of the medical system firsthand.
"There were some doctors or some residents that were just cold, very direct. No type of bed side manner and very quick," Perry says, recalling interactions with medical professionals. "It was just about getting the information in and getting me on my way."
Research from KFF indicates that Perry’s experience is not an outlier. People of color are more likely to be uninsured and face limited access to culturally aware providers. Furthermore, Black women are significantly more likely to have medical providers push for C-sections; nationally, the primary C-section rate for Black women is approximately 30%, compared to 24.7% for white women.
Building the 'village'
To combat these disparities, Perry founded NyNi, an organization named after her daughters, which trains doulas and provides families with the information needed to advocate for expectant mothers.
"Sometimes a village is your doctor's office when they're listening to you and they’re caring for you," Johnson says. "Sometimes a village is your neighbor. I think that village is where you feel comfortable and cared for and loved and valued and heard."
One could say Bi3, the philanthropic arm of TriHealth, is apart of the village. The organization contributed $50,000 during Black Maternal Health Week to support groups like NyNi.
"[We have] this belief that every mom and young child deserves to have access to the supports and resources they need to thrive,” Jena Bradley, Bi3’s director of community partnerships says. "In that, we recognize Black women face disparities and lack of access to those resources."
This is the third year the organization has offered grants for organizations doing work around Black Maternal Health week. This year the focus was on raising awareness, uplifting stories of joy and resilience, advocating for systems and policies and piloting new approaches that can serve moms and babies.
“When we don’t allow space to center stories about joy and resilience to celebrate and uplift we make it scary,” Bradley says. “If we only tell the stories of challenge and pain we erase the stories and experiences of joy and celebration. It’s important to balance both of those at the same time.”
A celebration of progress
During a recent "Pause and Let’s Celebrate" event, a gathering of Black women—including midwives, doulas, and health workers—met amid lush greenery and the sounds of live violinists to honor their progress.
"It's revitalizing to know that we’re making an impact and we’re saving babies and we’re saving moms. We're effectively creating a village. I think that we should be able to be really excited about that and grow from it and acknowledge that it's working—and we can do more. The job isn't done."
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